seashmore

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Everything posted by seashmore

  1. Scenario 1 actually happened to me at my first after college job. I applied to work in a mail room, got to the interview, the guy said I was qualified for a higher-paying position (rotating between front desks and multiple on-site mail rooms), and asked if I wanted it. Scenario 2 happened when I moved from a large metro area to a city with one Wal-mart. (So, small town if you're from a large city, but city if you're from a stop sign on a map dot.) Only slightly lower cost of living, but the unemployment rate is phenomenal. Just driving along a couple miles on the highway yields a dozen "Now Hiring" signs. In the metro, I was working as a personal care companion for seniors, making $9.50. In the small city, I started at a fast food restaurant at $9.50. The wage portion of the interview was pretty much the manager saying, "I see you're making $9.50 now. I can offer you that to start." Most people will have to "settle" for their first job or two out of school. Them's just the facts of life. As Jayne Cobb's father told him, "Anyone who can't find work ain't looking hard enough." Also, taking a menial job can help you network. The first time I moved from food service to a desk job was because one of my managers knew I was looking to get out, had worked there, and knew they were hiring. The second time I moved from food service to a desk job was because one of our part time workers worked full time for a place that was looking to replace one of their receptionists.
  2. I sold a van to a guy named Jose and quoted (Leverage quoting) Star Trek in my farewell post. "I've always been, and forever shall be, your friend. I'll never forget you."
  3. Amen! I was a relatively good kid, legally speaking. The first (and only) time I remember being grounded was when I was about 12. I had been fighting with my sister in the van, and my mom grounded both of us. Later that night, she not only rescinded the grounding, but dropped us off at the county fair so she could go hang out with my aunt, where we would walk when the fair closed at 10:00 pm. A cautionary tale from the life of seashmore: as I said previously, I was no delinquent. However, I was a latch key kid as early as 9. Our mom would let my sister and I be home after school by ourselves for about an hour. If we were getting along and the house wasn't trashed when she got home, we got fifty cents an hour. The next year, we were allowed to stay home without a babysitter for up to two hours (if she worked later than that, we would have a babysitter) under the same conditions. By the time I was 12 and in jr high, we were unsupervised as late as 11:00 (that was the latest she would be at work, and we had better at least pretend to be asleep when she got home). I was a homebody, but then again, so were the neighbor boys. They weren't supposed to be in the house when parents weren't home, but they were. We played spin the bottle kinds of games. As an adult, my mom said, "I knew the things you guys did when I wasn't home," and I had a bit of an existential crisis. Either she was lying to me about knowing, or she really had known and done nothing about it. If I had kids and I knew them to be doing the kinds of things I was doing, there would have been consequences. Discussions at the very least. My point is: don't tell your kids you know what they are up to unless you are 100% sure you know what they are up to.
  4. Yes, buuuuuuuttttt.....it eats up your data like Pac Man eats dots. Fiscally minded adults (and their children with mobile devices) often use wifi because it allows them to keep data available for when there is no wifi available. So people will be frustrated when they go to use their devices in a way that they probably shouldn't be in a chapel, anyway. Bonus: wifi sucks your battery life so less charging will be needed at church.
  5. I've had more thoughts about the ark itself than where it was floating. I may have to visit this place in Kentucky someday.
  6. ^^^This! Also, am VERY glad that my YW can't lurk on IG or Pinterest before the lesson. Surprised Snapchat wasn't listed. Now, can we get rid of the automatic pop ups when you open the Gospel Library app that won't go away, even when you click "watch later?" Frustrating switching between the GL app and a picture on my iPad for a lesson.
  7. @darthzilla99 As a single 32 y/o, I read your description of yourself as though a friend were telling me about you with the intentions of setting us up. I wasn't immediately disgusted (you're a far step above the last guy I was set up with, who lives like a squatter in an old machine shed and sleeps on a mattress on top of his boxes of ammo*) but there were some things that gave me caution. Mostly, that you're only working part time and that you've been content to live with your parents for so long when there is no apparent financial reason to do so. (At least, there wouldn't be if you were working full time.) As others have said, it's not the figurines or the hobbies, it's the other parts of your lifestyle that suggest to women they should proceed with caution. While I myself only dabble in a couple of fandoms, none of which are comics or superheroes, I understand and appreciate those who are into such things. As someone who is heavily burdened by student loans and some foolish financial decisions (taking a paycut to change careers just before the 08 recession, for example), I don't immediately discredit someone for living with their parents for such reasons. As someone who moved out of her parent's home on her 18th birthday (it just so happened that way) and hasn't lived with either of them for more than a summer since I was 20, I set the standard for myself that any man I date has to have lived on his own (or with roommates), outside of a mission. There is a lot to managing a household you don't experience while living with your parents. I recommend you get a full time job (even if it's not in your career field) and move sooner rather than later, even if it's into someone else's basement. Honestly, and I speak from experience, working part time and trying to look for a job is harder than working full time and looking for a job. I know it sounds counter intuitive, but I think that working part time cuts into the "work hard, play hard' outlook on life. Also, the longer your resume goes without a full time position on it, the harder it will be to land anything full time. In short, I'd give you a chance at a first date, but you'd have to make a really good impression to get a second one. *boxes of ammo aren't a turn off, boxes of ammo in the bedroom aren't even an instant red flag, but using them as a boxspring? Don't bring that up on a first date and expect a second.
  8. I'll take it! Do you have the artist for this version? I get mixed results from the Google.
  9. I see nothing wrong with getting most of your joy from connecting with nature. After all, it's God's creation, the very things that ought to bring you joy. The temple and the sacrament. For me, it's that feeling like my heart is smiling, whether or not my face is. @richard7900 this Sunday, pay attention to the little kids, Nursery and Sunbeam age, as the sacrament is passed. They often seem to be excited and happy about it, and it always reminds me to feel that way about what I know the sacrament emblems symbolize. Music has power over my emotions, and many of the hymns bring me joy, especially if I sing them aloud. "I Believe in Christ" is one of them. Pretty much any song about Jesus. Just opens me up and makes me feel good. Is that not what joy is? I think it's easier to be filled with the Holy Ghost and happens more frequently than many of us consider. It is my opinion that when we are filled with joy, we are filled with the Holy Ghost. I also think many of us experience more joy than we realize. Here is an experience of mine about feeling joy and the Holy Ghost. (And I really wish I could find/remember what scripture we used.) Asking this is like asking if you want cheddar or Swiss cheese. Although different, they're both good. I'm going to be a smart aleck and say yes, but only because we so often fail to appreciate simple things around us, like the ability to control the temperature of our home against the outside environment.
  10. I watched Murdoch Mysteries on Netflix once. I thought it was alright. Trying out the Rosemary and Thyme right now. Thanks for the recommendation!
  11. I stumbled across Corner Gas (a Canadian sitcom) on YouTube a few months ago and loved it! There may have been a handful of adult language/situations that cropped up over the six seasons, but nothing that I felt was inappropriate. Dry Bar Comedy channels on Facebook and YouTube have pretty good content, if you like stand up comedy. It's filmed right across the street from BYU-Provo and associated with VidAngel, just be careful if you search out the comics' other material; not all of it is as clean as what they use for their Dry Bar act. (They have to submit their material for approval, but the few I've looked up independently haven't turned up anything particularly foul.) Check out your local library; they most likely have a DVD section. Browse their selection and then check out the Parent's Guide on imdb to vet anything that may be inappropriate. (I'm more sensitive to violence and sexual situations than language, but everyone's different.) I've rediscovered a few old favorites, like American Graffiti and Matilda while finding some new ones, like Miracle and One Million Dubliners. Recently got Austenland from the library. It's way funnier to watch it with someone else, but still pretty great solo. Have been watching the commentary with director Jerusha Hess and producer Stephanie Meyer, and....it's renewed my distaste for Twilight. Although, I suppose the success of that allowed her to produce/finance the comedic genius of Austenland, so we'll call it a wash.
  12. What I got out of that video can be found in this Ensign article. "Cultivating Meaningful Connections."
  13. Yes. Once upon a time, I had a best friend. We did what you and your friend do. Regular texts, going to lunch, shopping, etc. He started dating a girl who did not get along well with me. She intentionally twisted things I said and slandered me to mutual friends (who, unfortunately, believed her without even getting my side of the story, and ended up proved themselves as fair weather friends). My friend and I would still text or email each other funny things, inside jokes, or support during hard times. Eventually, not long after they got married, I realized that if I were to maintain a friendship with him, his relationship with me (as a friend) would end up being something that strained their marriage. I wanted my friend to be happy and not have a strained marriage even more than I wanted to be friends with him. I haven't texted or emailed him in over a year. If this woman is truly a friend, someone you care about and would like to have all of the happiness that a celestial life can afford, you need to respect her marriage and back off.
  14. Oh, man, that'd be nice! Here in my part of the world, people are too busy. Especially the youth. We had our YW Camp Fundraiser tonight at 5:30 because that's when the girls had available (looking at track and school schedules a month ago) not knowing that there was also a Scout Camporee thing this weekend. Since it was a Spaghetti Feed, there went half of our hungry bellies. Not even all of our YW showed up. In branch council, we talk about doing activities, but it comes down to scheduling conflicts. We didn't have any YW at our last baptism session because the school changed the dates of their musical. (We had planned around it.) It comes down to "Are we active in the Gospel or just busy in the Church?" (Whoever said that at general conference; I'm bad with names.)
  15. Welcome @alee! What kinds of things do you write? Poetry? Short stories? Novels? Scripts?
  16. Welcome! I'm so proud of you for being courageous, confessing to your bishop, and repenting. I know from experience that takes a lot of guts. I second the recommendation to focus on preparing to receive your own endowments, which is something that would need to happen before you serve a mission. When I served as a temple worker, I remember one of the temple matrons instructing us on how important it was for the youth to prepare for receiving their own endowments. Your mission will last 18-24 months, but the covenants you make in the temple will last a lifetime. I was at a meeting where missionaries who had completed their service bore their testimonies, and felt the impression that I should serve a mission. I was excited until I realized that financial obligations (student loans) made the logistics of serving a mission impossible. Expressing my disappointment to one of my best friends, she suggested maybe it was just the Lord's way of telling me it was time to receive my own endowment. She was right, and I went almost every week after that. About six months after I went through for the first time, I was called as a temple ordinance worker. For about 18 months, I assisted five sessions every week (2 on Tuesdays and 3 on Saturdays). When I was released, I realized that serving as a temple ordinance worker had been my mission, even though the Church records might not report it as such. I'll message you some links to Church resources that helped me prepare to receive my own endowment.
  17. "See a need, fill a need." Mr. Bigweld, in the movie Robots When I was the RS Counselor in charge of music, our pianist slid out of activity. There was one sister who was always willing to fill in and play whatever she was able, and I fought so hard to get her officially called and set apart so she could receive extra blessings for magnifying a calling. Now I realize maybe she did get extra blessings because it wasn't her calling and she did it, anyway. One thing I've learned is that service activities almost always have better attendance than entertainment activities. People won't show up to learn how to tie quilts, but everyone and their brother will come to help make quilts for flood victims. If we announce that we're playing a game for YM/YW Mutual, we get lackluster attendance and participation. But when we made Valentine's Day cards for seniors? I had to tell them it was time to close. I feel like I've read somewhere (church manual, maybe a talk by Pres. Packer) that our youth especially can be entertained anywhere. If you make that the end goal of your activities, they'll eventually stop coming. But if you set your end goal to be personal progress, either spiritually or temporally, then the youth will see weekly activities as a refuge from their normal, hurried lives.
  18. Not smart, just blessed. I love The Princess Bride, and my roommate got me his book for Christmas one year. The following March, I drove to Planet Comicon in Kansas City to meet him. He was very gracious and signed not only my copy of his book, but my roommate's hard copy of The Princess Bride, calling her a good friend for loaning me her car to get to Omaha, where rentals were cheaper.
  19. Conversely, my first thought is, "Alright! More time to find the rest of them!" Except for that one time I went to do the work for a cousin of my great-grandmother, only to see that it had somehow been done before her death. Since I was working off of a memoir type document she (my great grandmother's cousin) had written and had seen zero mention of the Church or any religion at all, I was confused and concerned. I all but marched myself along the Mormon Trail to talk to Church Headquarters about it. It took me probably a full 40 hours of searching (over a couple of years) to realize that she had actually joined the Church. So, she had received her own endowments while still alive. I still get frustrated that she didn't mention anything. At all. Anywhere. Like not even a "I know I'll be with him again" when speaking about the death of her ten year old son. Definitely convinced me to be more open about my own testimony and affiliation with the Church in my journals, though. I don't want some distant relative forty years after I die going, "Wait? She was Mormon?!" six years after they read my life story.
  20. I think a capella is perfectly acceptable for a funeral. If you think you are going to be too emotional to sing the song in a pleasing manner, perhaps go for the piano arrangement. Or run both ideas past your husband/whoever asks you to sing and see how they feel.
  21. I think this story, which happened in Detroit on the same day as the Starbucks incident, shines a brighter light on why racial sensitivity training might be necessary for society at large. Basically, white people need to stop assuming anyone with a darker skin tone is dangerous. It's why, when my white coworker wanted her black boyfriend to stop and offer a teenage girl a ride home from the grocery store on a cold night, she told him to pull up so she could offer the ride to the girl.
  22. One problem with that book: it shares a title with this one. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21412202-as-you-wish
  23. I assumed she meant average. Question for the all the PNWers...is it really as rainy and cloudy there as they joke about in tv/movies? Because I might enjoy the culture (books and coffee are two of my favorite scents) but the weather here in the Midwest has been all gray and cloudy for the past two months, and it's convinced me I could never live in Seattle/Portland/Vancouver, as much as fun as it sounds.
  24. I was under the impression it was your toaster.
  25. @Carborendum I have identified with your son's experience many times in my current calling as YWP. I can come up with lists upon lists of why this particular calling has been so challenging for me. I just have to keep going back to when I was extended the calling to work in YW. I knew the appointment was arranged with the purpose of extending me a calling. I also knew that I was at a difficult place in all aspects of my life, something that only God and I were aware of, and I had prepared myself for telling the branch president that I would have to pray about whatever calling he extended me. When he said they would like to call me to be the 1st counselor in the YW, I laughed and said, "That's probably the only calling I don't have to pray about." I kind of saw the calling for President coming when my predecessor announced her family would be moving at the same time as three other families. It made logistical sense to change that, even though it's taken me almost a year to find even one clue as to what I'm really supposed to be doing. @jewels8 Two callings ago, I was the Primary Music Leader, and my release seemed to come out of nowhere. I hadn't been in the calling for two full years, the program was only a couple of months away, they didn't extend me a new calling for four months, and they didn't call another PML for about six. Once the Primary program happened, though, I understood at least one reason why I was released: I needed to be in the congregation during the program. Our Primary President at the time had a 3 year old, an 18 month old and a newborn. I sat down with one of my friends a couple rows back, and as soon as the PP went up with the Primary (we have no formal stage/risers in our building, just a portable pulpit) the two oldest lost it. Poor dad was sitting there with a crying child in one arm, a screaming infant in the other, and a newborn in a carseat at his feet. I felt more than a little like Mary Poppins as I slid out of my seat, floated up a couple of rows, stepped over the eighty year old man next to him, and took over consoling the three year old, who knew me from singing time in nursery. I basically just kept her company so dad could tend to the other two as necessary. He told me afterwards that I came in at the very moment he had decided to walk out. (How he would have managed that, I honestly don't know, as both girls were clinging to him.) Another calling-related story: my first adult callings were: RS Secretary (family ward in college), RS Newsletter Editor (1st YSA ward), and RS Secretary (1st YSA Ward). When I moved into my 2nd YSA Ward, the RSP caught me in the hallway for small talk and went fishing as to how I felt about a calling. I said I definitely needed one, but "not RS Secretary, since that's pretty much all I've done as an adult." I thought she had picked up on my joking tone, but it still took me about 6-8 weeks to get called as a ward missionary, shortly before a friend of mine was called as RS Secretary. To this day, it has been the only Relief Society I've been in that has not seen me serve as it's secretary. (A total of 4 times in 3 units.) I'm still not sure if that means I'm either really good at it or if I still have that much left to learn, but I am sure that if that calling exists on the other side, I'll be called.